Chapter 129 Chapter 129 36
Baili Qing was the first person to discover the thunder from the sky. After all, he had a high level of cultivation and he usually paid attention to the Great Elder. It didn't matter that he was paying attention, he found that the entire mountain where the Great Elder was located was almost about to be submerged by the thunder from the sky.
This wasn't a thunder tribulation caused by a breakthrough in cultivation. After all, he knew the Great Elder's cultivation level well. It was hard for him to even survive, let alone achieve a breakthrough. If a breakthrough were easy, he wouldn't have risked his life to calculate the secrets of the heavens.
By the time he hurried over, the thunder had completely dissipated, along with the Great Elder's body and soul. The body was reduced to ash, and the soul... not even a puff of smoke remained.
He didn't even get to see him for the last time.
The other ordinary disciples also witnessed the thunderbolt. Many privately discussed what had happened. Only Huo Ling'er noticed the direction of the thunderbolt and began to run towards it. However, she arrived even later than Baili Qing. When she arrived, she found only Master standing alone in the spot where Grandpa usually stayed.
"Master, where is my grandfather?" She said as she turned her head and looked around, wishing she could find her grandfather immediately.
Baili Qing sighed, a look of sadness on his face, "Ling'er, your grandfather... is gone."
"Impossible!" Huo Ling'er suddenly widened her eyes and said in a shrill voice.
Her grandfather was so powerful, how could something like that happen to him? The master must have lied to her.
Baili Qing looked at Huo Ling'er in disbelief, sighed, and turned away without saying anything else.
In fact, although he was sad about the death of the Great Elder, he also felt a little relieved. After all, it was better for secrets to be known by as few people as possible.
However, compared to the Great Elder, with whom he had a relatively harmonious relationship, he thought of Ying Wo again.
That was really a case of him not being able to control his words, but he couldn't do anything to this junior brother.
But what was more important now was Gu Qifan. As long as he could successfully exchange his life as soon as possible, he didn't need to care about these trivial matters.
But for some reason, Gu Qifan had been becoming increasingly difficult for him recently. He had initially thought the rumor would continue to spread, but he hadn't expected him to actually teach those disciples a lesson.
Those people too! They're all bullies, afraid of the strong and bullying the weak. They don't usually hold their tongues, and dare to whisper behind anyone's back. But after being lectured by Gu Qifan, they don't even dare to mention it again. A bunch of useless trash!
However, at this moment, he couldn't call Gu Qifan over and scold him for this matter, to prevent him from losing his mind. If others knew about it, it might even make him laugh. After all, the sect competition was coming soon, and he still needed Gu Qifan as his disciple for the time being.
But what Baili Qing didn't expect was that on the eve of the joint competition, Gu Qifan caused trouble again. Or maybe it was Shui Ying and Huo Ling'er who caused the trouble.
Simply because they sincerely hoped Yuanrui could participate in the joint competition. It couldn't be helped, after all, the benefits of participating in the joint competition were numerous. Putting aside the benefits of placing, even if one didn't, they could still receive rewards from several sects, and more importantly, gain fame.
You have to know that at this critical juncture, fame is more important than anything else. Shui Ying had already made up her mind. She'd wait until the actual competition to manipulate the situation. While it might be difficult to have Yuan Rui defeat the others, it would be easy to have Gu Qifan defeat the others, and Yuan Rui defeat Gu Qifan. After all, the others had their own sects to back them up, while Gu Qifan was used to letting them manipulate him. As for what if Gu Qifan disagreed with this approach? From the moment Shui Ying came up with this idea, she hadn't planned to confront Gu Qifan directly.
However, Shui Ying did not expect that Gu Qifan, who had always done things silently, would use the same trick again this time. Shui Ying put pressure on him, and he expressed his pressure. Now the topic of injustice in the sect has once again become a hot topic, even more widespread than the topic of Gu Qifan's mother.
After all, Gu Qifan's mother's identity does not affect the benefits they can get, but the sect's injustice will have a serious impact.
After Shui Ying learned about what Gu Qifan had done, she was so angry that she broke no idea how many cups she had. She became furious and ran to everyone in anger, questioning Gu Qifan in front of everyone why he was so unfilial.
"I didn't want to say it originally, intending to save your face, Fan'er, but I didn't expect you to turn the tables and blame me. Why do I always want to give Yuanrui preferential treatment? Others don't know, but don't you know?"
Gu Qifan was stunned by the question and subconsciously said, "Because Yuanrui is Master's wife's child?"
Shui Ying was now stunned. The words she had originally intended to say were stuck in her throat for a long time before she pretended to look puzzled. "Fan'er, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Her arrogance subsided for a while, but she soon became even more angry. "I don't know where you heard these rumors, but if you're targeting your fellow disciple because of this, will you also target other disciples because of similar rumors in the future?"
She really wanted to agree to Gu Qifan's words, but when she thought of her husband's instructions and the bad things that happened after she gave birth to Yuanrui, she could only go against her will and pretend to be stupid with tears in her eyes.
Because she was also coveting Gu Qifan's luck, but at the same time she didn't feel guilty at all. She just hated Gu Qifan for taking her son's place. She also hated her for enduring humiliation for so many years, but in the end, she got a lonely Peony in return.
Obviously, everything was fine. Even if her grandmother died unexpectedly, it should not affect the exchange of their lives. She had been following Mudan's route and was brought back to Qianshan Sect by Baili Qing obediently. But she gave birth to a person abandoned by heaven, which made her end up with nothing. If Baili Qing had not known about everything she did, she would have wanted to find Mudan and take revenge on her.
"Speaking of which, Fan'er, you've really disappointed Master's Wife! Do you think the reason I help Yuanrui again and again is simply because he saved Ling'er? Even though I don't care, I'm not so foolish. The reason I hope Yuanrui can participate in the joint competition is actually because my husband and I have discussed taking in another disciple. That disciple must not only have high cultivation, but more importantly, good character and good character as well. He must not be a petty thief. And he must not be someone who targets others out of jealousy!"
Shui Ying's words were so high-sounding that she was just about to point her finger at Gu Qifan and scold him, saying that he had bad character and was fond of stealing. Even if she was just lying, what would it matter? She was the master's wife who had saved him and raised him since he was a child!
As she said this, disappointment appeared on her face, as if she was very disappointed with her child, and as if she had only said it on impulse and now regretted it.
The disciples who were originally skeptical began to believe it slowly after seeing Shui Ying's series of expressions. After all, the eldest brother was adopted by the Sect Master's wife and had watched her grow up. If she was not extremely disappointed, how could she say such words to him?
Because it was an accusation from someone very closely related, and because of Shuiying's status in Qianshan Sect, her words seemed particularly credible.
Even though many people think that Gu Qifan does not look like that kind of person on the surface, can they really understand him better than Gu Qifan's own master's wife?
What's more, Senior Brother Gu Qifan is indeed not very approachable. Who knows what he is like behind the scenes?
"Is this really what Senior Brother is like? Even ordinary disciples like us wouldn't do such petty theft, right? As Senior Brother..."
"Oh, what do you know? Do you still remember what happened to Senior Brother's mother? A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse's child will dig holes. With a mother like that, even if he was brought back to Qianshan Sect since he was a child, I'm afraid it's hard to avoid changing his bad nature, right?"
Many people connected the dots when they heard this and nodded. Indeed, with a mother like that, it seemed like it was not surprising what kind of person she was behind the scenes and what she could do.
It couldn't possibly be the Sect Master's wife's empty slander; after all, that wouldn't do her any good. Yuan Rui, in contrast to Gu Qifan, should have been closer to Gu Qifan, a child who had grown up in the Qianshan Sect. Now that the Sect Master's wife had come out to respond, she must have been unable to tolerate it.
Not to mention, Huo Ling'er also joined in, doesn't this just prove that Gu Qifan is a bad person?
"But isn't Senior Sister Huo the eldest senior brother's fiancée?" someone asked weakly.
"It's because Senior Sister Huo is Senior Brother's fiancée that her words seem more credible! If Senior Brother didn't really have a problem with his character, how could someone so close to him stand up and accuse him in public?"
"But it seems that Huo and Yuan Rui are getting closer? Didn't she already accuse him a while ago?"
"That means Senior Sister Huo couldn't stand Senior Brother a while ago! What's so strange about that?"
"Then what about what Senior Brother said just now, that Yuanrui is the Sect Master's wife's child? I always feel that Senior Sister Huo and the Sect Master's wife are really good to Yuanrui, especially Senior Sister Huo. She often goes to the outer sect to visit Yuanrui recently, right? The two incidents that happened are also related to Yuanrui. If it were someone else, I'm afraid they wouldn't even pay attention. Besides, is Yuanrui the only person with good character in our entire Qianshan Sect? I don't think he is any better than me!"
No one responded now, because she had spoken everyone's mind. Gu Qifan might be a bad person, and they could accuse him of his misconduct, but what exactly made Yuanrui better than them? Was it because of that life-saving favor that was so tainted? Or was it really, as Gu Qifan had just asked, that Yuanrui was actually the child of the Sect Master and his wife?
But there was no need. If it was really their child, wouldn't they just admit it? They didn't even have the right to say anything, but the Sect Master's wife denied it.
"Hey, do you think it's possible that it's an illegitimate child? I remember hearing someone say that the sect leader's wife was also brought back from the mortal world by the sect leader." Someone slapped his thigh and blurted out.
The people around him looked at each other, immediately shut up, and moved away from him.
But the impression of these words still flashed through my mind.
Shui Ying paid no attention to their speculation. She was internally smug. She had simply intended to destroy Gu Qifan, and now she was merely collecting a small profit. As for whether Gu Qifan would bear a grudge against her? If he did, it would simply prove her claim of being unfilial. If he didn't, she could continue to boss him around. If he truly rebelled and one day spoke ill of her, the spit from others would be enough to kill him.
After a period of calm, and with the guidance of his own... mother, Gu Qifan had finally accepted reality. So when his mistress spoke nonsense in front of everyone, he wasn't surprised at all, and even felt that it was expected.
Through the memories of this period, he gradually understood how much his mistress hated him. It wasn't because he didn't do well enough, but because she simply hated him.
Did he have to face such disgust and try to please her to be considered filial? Not to mention, from the very beginning, whether it was the grace of saving his life or the grace of raising him, it was all intended to be reciprocated. He even passively reciprocated a lot, otherwise his cultivation progress would not have inexplicably slowed down.
The facts have been laid out before him, twice. He should not continue to evade them and waste the good intentions of those who truly want good for him.
After reflecting on this for a while, he no longer felt sad. Instead, he felt more grateful. He was grateful that he had realized the truth before this, grateful that he had enough time to gradually dispel the guilt and self-blame that had once built up in his heart. He was also grateful that his mother had found him and helped him discover his true self.
"Master's wife, could you please be more clear about some of the things you said? God is watching what we do. If Qifan did something wrong, Master's wife could tell you directly, instead of being so vague just to save my face. For example, what exactly did Qifan steal? Master's wife, please enlighten me."
As for the two times I announced the matter about Junior Brother Yuanrui on behalf of Master's Wife, it was simply to give all the disciples an explanation and to let Junior Brother Yuanrui know who was helping him. If Qifan misrepresented or misunderstood Master's Wife's intentions, Master's Wife could have announced her own meaning directly, so that no one would suspect Qifan of repeatedly targeting outer disciples.
"How dare you! You're so sharp-tongued! Are you blaming Master's Wife?" Shui Ying's tone softened quickly. "Fan'er, Master's Wife has raised you for so many years. Just because Master's Wife lost control of her emotions today and said those careless words, you're starting to resent her, right? I'm sorry, Master's Wife did say too much just now, but she didn't mean any harm. It's impossible that she meant to hurt you..."
"Yes, yes, it's impossible for the Sect Master's wife to deliberately harm the Sect Master's disciples! The Sect Master only has two disciples now, there is no need for that!" Not to mention, in the world of cultivation, for many masters and disciples, the relationship between them is even closer than that between father and son.
Many people were talking about it. They were like fence-sitters, and would side with whoever they thought spoke reasonably.
"But, Sister Lily, you really didn't hurt him on purpose?"
An ethereal and pleasant voice was heard. Although it was not loud, it reached everyone's ears accurately, making them subconsciously quiet down.
Gu Qifan didn't expect that his mother couldn't help but show up at this time. He was shocked and could only secretly tell himself that he must protect her. While thinking so, he went over in his mind the escape route he had prepared if the elder of the Law Enforcement Hall took action.
Fortunately, due to the recent joint competition among the major sects, the Qianshan Sect's inspection was not strict. And according to the Qianshan Sect's past habits, they were also afraid of making a big fuss and being known by other sects.
After the falling out, defecting from Qianshan Sect was the best option. After all, he couldn't really let others plot against him to death, nor could he really let himself bear so much blame.
Everyone heard the sound and looked towards the source of the sound.
The next moment, everyone, including Shui Ying and Huo Ling'er, held their breath.
Because the visitor was so beautiful, she was wearing a light blue gauze dress, and there were no complicated hair accessories on her head. Her black hair was draped over her shoulders, fluttering in the air. But there was a coldness in her eyes, which made people reflect on themselves. Who made the beauty angry?
"What did the beauty say just now?"
"I don't know. I just think the sound is nice."
"She's so beautiful! Why haven't I seen her before? Could she be the new junior sister who plans to join Qianshan Sect? But now is not the time for Qianshan Sect to accept disciples, right? But I really hope she stays!"
"Yeah yeah."
All the disciples below straightened their bodies involuntarily, trying to make themselves appear more vigorous.
Although they tried to communicate quietly, their eyes never left the figure that was getting closer and closer.
The closer they were, the more they couldn't take their eyes off him.
Even the female disciples secretly took care of their appearance, for fear of leaving a bad impression on such a fairy.
"Just shut up and talk less, okay? What if you disturb the fairy?"
"What do you know? Who knows? The fairy might have heard something we said and remembered me because of it!"
Some people curled their lips in disdain, but others just kept their mouths shut.
But in essence, it is all to leave a better impression on the visitors.
Shuiying was the quickest to react. Frowning, she pointed at Ruoruo and asked, "Who are you? Why did you trespass into Qianshan Sect? How did you get in?"
The look in her eyes when she looked at Ruoruo seemed to be able to spit fire, full of disgust and jealousy.
"Sister Lily, don't you recognize me? I'm Peony. We spent more than ten years together in Chunxiang Pavilion. Have you forgotten?" Ruoruo said this, her voice getting lower and lower, as if she was frightened by Shuiying's current attitude.
"Don't be afraid, fairy. We in Qianshan Sect simply don't allow outsiders to enter casually. We're worried about people with bad intentions, so Madam may be a little excited. But I believe you are definitely not a bad person. Don't worry, we in Qianshan Sect are all very friendly."
"Yes, yes, Madam was just too excited. Fairy, please don't be afraid."
The others who were farther away from Ruo Ruo also started talking. "Yeah, Madam, why are you shouting so loudly? If you didn't know, you'd think she was interrogating a criminal!"
"If you ask me, our Qianshan Sect shouldn't be so strict about prohibiting others from entering. It's fine if only some forbidden areas or important places have such rules. I've never heard of any other sect having such rules."
They were all talking quite loudly, and were speaking in Ruo Ruo's favor, even if it was just because Ruo Ruo sounded a little sad.
In a short while, the originally majestic lady of the sect seemed to have almost become a tigress in their mouths.
Even though no one dared to say it directly, their words were filled with accusations that the Madam was overreacting. Not to mention that many people secretly felt that the Madam of the Sect was looking so scary and speaking so fiercely, so it was no wonder that the Fairy was afraid.
Shui Ying also practiced cultivation, and her cultivation was much higher than these ordinary disciples. Naturally, she heard all their discussions clearly, which was why she became even angrier.
Not to mention - peonies!
She felt sick when she heard these two words. She wanted to go back to the past and give that little bitch a good beating to vent her anger.
But what had she just said? Was she Peony? Shuiying looked at her carefully and unexpectedly found that her face bore a resemblance to the little bitch she remembered. But how could that be possible? Peony was clearly an ordinary person. How could she appear before her like this after all these years?
Shuiying couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it.
Peony? How could this person be Peony?
"Who are you? What is your purpose here?"
"Sister Lily, I am indeed Peony..."
"Shut up! Who is Sister Lily? What nonsense are you talking about? Someone, someone, this person has trespassed into Qianshan Sect. Why don't you send someone to take her away?"
"Sister Lily, you really don't remember me? I'm the prostitute mother of that dirty and disgusting Gu Qifan you mentioned. We stayed in the brothel together for so many years, how could you not remember me?"
The more Shuiying didn't want to hear something, the more Ruoruo wanted to say it.
However, this statement caused an uproar.
Even the word "prostitute" seemed to have a halo when it came out of Ruo Ruo's mouth. But that didn't stop everyone from hearing the hidden message within it - the Sect Master's wife had once come from a brothel.
"Is this true? It can't be true. I've never heard of it before."
"But the Sect Master's wife was indeed brought back from outside many years ago. No one knows her background, right? Fairy, there's no way you're lying to us, right? Moreover, if it's not true, why would someone like Fairy want to expose her scars and turn herself into a prostitute?"
"Oh my God, what does the sect leader want? And that face..." The person who mentioned the face didn't dare to continue speaking. He just looked at Shui Ying several times, and each look contained a strange look.
When Huo Ling'er heard these two words, she subconsciously distanced herself from her master's wife. After all, she prided herself on her noble status, as her ancestors were all cultivators, and she herself had considerable talent. What she hated most was that dirty woman.
Except for the pretty person standing not far away.
Huo Ling'er always hated those who looked better than herself, but when she looked at that girl, she rarely felt disgusted. Although she had immediately revealed that she was a prostitute, what did that mean? It meant that she was honest and upright in her conduct!
As for the fact that she was Gu Qifan's mother, Huo Ling'er glanced at Gu Qifan next to her again and raised her head proudly.
A few days passed, and she felt much less sad about her grandfather's death. Only then could she think of joining her master's wife to fight for Yuanrui. After meeting Ruoruo, she felt that the sadness in her heart had dissipated even more.
If such a face is with me every day, I will feel relaxed and happy just by looking at it.
Shui Ying heard the discussions about her, and even saw Huo Ling'er's little movements. She secretly hated them. If... if the Hele Sect hadn't been wiped out, she would have taught everyone a lesson today. Unfortunately, all she could do now was endure.
And the only person who can allow her to vent her hatred is the person in front of her who calls herself Peony.
So when those disciples didn't listen to her orders at all, she attacked Ruoruo alone.
"Don't!"
"don't want!"
"Fairy!"
Without waiting for Ruoruo's reaction, the disciples below became more anxious than each other, not caring about Shuiying's identity. They all stood in front of Ruoruo to protect her, but kept a certain distance from her out of inferiority.
Gu Qifan couldn't even squeeze through.
...Whose mother is this?
"Sister Lily? You... do you want to kill me? Did Mudan do something wrong?" Ruo Ruo said timidly, her little face extremely pale, as if she had suffered a major blow.
"Shut up! You are not Peony at all! There is no way that Peony would say such a thing!" You know, Peony is a very strong-willed person. No matter what attitude she shows, she can never be so delicate and artificial!
But she regretted it immediately after she said it.
Everyone looked at her in amazement, because once she said this, it was obvious that she admitted that she was the "Sister Lily" that Ruoruo mentioned.
Ruo Ruo also immediately showed a look of surprise, "That's great, Sister Lily, did you remember me?"
…
Everyone around was silent.
For a moment, even though I had a thousand words in my heart, I couldn't say a single word.
Even Gu Qifan was speechless. His admiration for his mother increased, but at the same time, he felt even more distressed about her experience.
He originally thought that those rumors were false, but unexpectedly it seemed that they had actually happened. This made him unable to imagine how much unhappiness his mother had experienced.
He originally wanted to find an opportunity to ask why they were separated as mother and son, and why his mother found him at this time, but now, Gu Qifan has given up this idea.
After all, he didn't understand his mother's experience, so he didn't know how to avoid her scars. It would be better for him to never mention the past.
"Shut up! Stop talking nonsense! You've trespassed into Qianshan Sect without permission, and it's obvious you have ill intentions. You'd better surrender. And you!" Shuiying said, looking at the people standing in front of Ruo Ruo, "Do you all want to be expelled from Qianshan Sect? Just because of this woman of unknown origin."
Some of the disciples hesitated and slowly backed away. Others gave Ruoruo an apologetic look, still whispering that the fairy couldn't possibly be a bad person. Even so, many others stood firmly in front of Ruoruo, just to leave a good impression.
Shui Ying's expression became even uglier. She didn't expect that even after she threatened to expel them from Qianshan Sect, there were still so many people who didn't know what was good for them!
Gu Qifan also took this opportunity to finally gather in front of his mother.
Shui Ying became more and more angry as she looked at the two people with somewhat similar faces. She wished she could cut them both into pieces.
The reputation she had worked so hard to build and all her efforts over the years were all destroyed by the two people in front of her.
She now somewhat believed that the woman in front of her was Peony, but if it was Peony, she would only want to get rid of her even more.
She hated Mudan, even though she had been very good to her in the past. But the more she was treated like that, the more she hated her. After all, how could such a lowly person have such a good fate, while she had to pretend so aggrievedly and work hard to save her life, and suffer the grievances that she should not have suffered.
But seeing the confused looks everyone gave her, Shui Ying's mind finally calmed down a lot. After a long while, she lowered her eyes and whispered, "Fan'er, are you going to disregard the rules of Qianshan Sect just because of this woman? Or do you really believe her lies and think she is really your mother? You were picked up by Master's wife from the valley! Not to mention that we can't be sure that this woman of unknown origin is your mother, even if we can be sure, do you really want to ignore the kindness that Qianshan Sect has shown you over the years?"
Shui Ying almost shouted the last sentence, as if she was completely heartbroken by Gu Qifan.
Ruo Ruo said calmly, "Sister Lily, I didn't believe it before, but now I've truly seen it. It turns out that if you tell a lie too many times, you'll start to believe it and feel justified."
"Did you really pick up my son from the valley? Did you really bring him back because you felt there was a connection and accepted him as your disciple? Over the years, have you really treated him with the same meticulous care and respect that people within the Qianshan Sect have been saying?"
Shui Ying didn't feel guilty at all when she heard the question from the person in front of her. Instead, she nodded confidently. After all, in her heart, she had indeed raised Gu Qifan for so many years, and Gu Qifan had indeed spent the resources of Qianshan Sect to grow up.
When someone dislikes someone, even the fewest resources they use seem vastly superior to them. Even if they're obedient and sensible, they seem superfluous. Even thinking about them makes them feel like a loss, and thinking about them only makes them feel worse. This is a resentment that can never be quelled, no matter how much reward one receives.
But for Shuiying, Gu Qifan was the kind of person she hated.
Ruo Ruo smiled, but she knew that talking to her like this was like talking to a cow. So, she quietly took out a photo stone.
"I heard that the Qianshan Sect was struck by lightning a while ago. I wonder if Sister Lily has paid attention to it. Before the lightning struck, I happened to have a conversation with the Grand Elder of your sect."
The photo stone floated up into the sky and soon turned into an oversized mirror, reflecting the people inside clearly.
"Grandpa!" Huo Ling'er was excited, but soon, there was a bit of complexity in her gaze when she looked at Ruoruo.
"It's the Great Elder!"
"Didn't they say that the Great Elder had already... Could this photo stone be the Great Elder's last message before he died? But how are the Great Elder and the fairy related?"
Many people present were seeing the Photo Stone for the first time, so they all looked up with great interest, out of curiosity about what the fairy had taken out and also out of curiosity about the Photo Stone itself.
But soon their expressions became serious.
"Actually, I just saw that the child born to the Sect Master and his wife was a person abandoned by heaven, so I told them. The idea of the life-changing technique was entirely Shui Ying's! She was the one who took the initiative to propose it..." The elder who didn't look very well in the picture spoke word by word. The content in it was enough to shock the entire cultivation world, not to mention them.
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